In 2016, I was invited to Germany by Clean Energy Wire for a media study tour to learn more about Germany's energy transition, Energiewende. This study tour focused on the German cities of Saerbeck, Ibbenbueren, Duisberg and Duesseldorf. While three open-pit soft coal (lignite) mines continue to operate in Germany today, all hard coal mining ended in 2018 (but hard coal imports to Germany continue). Here is a tight selection of 17 images of open-pit coal mines and steel factories from that trip.